Author Archives: Amanda Gray

Term 2 Week 9 Newsletter

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Parent Helpers
Thank you to all of the parents who have helped out so far this year it is hugely appreciated by the teachers and children! 

Resource Request
If anyone has any large fizzy drink bottles we would really appreciate them so we can make some rockets!

Koru Leaders
Wow, a big congratulations to all children in team Koru for participating in leading assembly! A big thanks to all of the parents who came and supported this event. 


Drink Bottles
Just a friendly reminder to ensure that children are coming to school with a named water bottle. By having drink bottles available in the classroom makes it much easier and quicker for children to have a drink when they need, bringing little to no disruption to learning programmes. 

School Holidays
With the school holidays fast approaching we thought we would put together a few ideas on learning activities that could be done! The purpose of these activities is to maintain some of your child's learning and strengthen connections between home and school. 
  • Writing reflections on what you have done during the day or the yesterday.
  • Writing a list of jobs or activities that are going to be completed during the day.
  • Baking and talking about the measurements, e.g., 1cup, 1/2 cup etc.
  • Counting numbers on the letter boxes when you go for a walk.
  • Writing numbers, letter, words and stories with chalk outside.
  • Colouring in books and encourage correct pencil grip.
  • Go to the library and read lots of stories together.
  • Word or number hunt in old magazines or newspapers. 
  • Craft activities that involve using scissors to build on this skill. 
  • Discussing healthy lunch box items, you could write, draw or take photos about your ideas and share them with the class when Term 3 starts. 
Discovery Time
Gardening with the help of a parent! What a fantastic experience had by all. We look forward to watching our plants grow. 

Students developing competency with our hub pet Peach! She was falling asleep on the children's laps because she loved the attention and felt safe. 

We have been showing we care and we get there together through home play. 

Whare Time
Over the past couple of weeks during whare time we have been learning about the Maori New Year (Matariki). Older students supported the younger students to make a kite. Kites are a traditional symbol of Matariki as legends believe they connect the heavens and the earth.





Newsletter Term 2 Week 2

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Welcome Back To Term 2!
A special warm welcome to Elsie, Hatsumi, Alex, Felix, Quinn, Sharni and Xavier.

Writing This Week
Teachers have been fortunate to have professional development on writing.
We are learning new and fun ways to provide our students with:
* Clear learning intentions (e.g. saying our sounds, doing a picture plan, adding detail). We do this using icons:

* Questioning to prompt children to write more
* Using stimulus like picture books to generate great writing
* Giving students clear verbal feedback



* Offering lots of writing experience e.g. word building:
 

Parent Helpers
Thanks to all our wonderful parent helpers! We appreciate your support with the children's learning. Keeping children's progress confidential is a vital part of that. Thank-you.

Learning At Home
You can help your child with their learning by:
* Playing games with your word cards. Find great ideas here.
* Read with your child every night
* Start to notice the moon...ask questions such as
What does it look like? Why does it seem to move? What colour is it tonight? 
We have started learning about the moon and solar system in class.
* Information about current moon phase 

Science & Art Learning
Thanks for your ideas here Amy (Weaver's Mum)
This term we are exploring the Solar System and Outer Space.
As part of this we have decided to create some 3d Models, for example: planets, robots, astronauts and space monsters. Please collect the following:
*Small boxes (eg oxo's, toothpaste etc)
*Twisty ties, eg the likes of bread bags etc.
*Bottle tops and items for embellishment (eg buttons, small tags and ties)
*Old magazines for collage
*Tins (clean, no sharp pieces or labels)

Book Review - Pete The Cat

This one’s a kid-pleaser, with funny, memorable text, bright colours, visual humour, and a downloadable song to boot. For such a simple story, it’s a page-turner too - kids will be eager to see what happens next, even after many readings. They’ll giggle at Pete inadvertently stepping into a pile of blueberries, which on the page looks more like an ocean of blueberries. Each time he stains his shoes, Pete looks a bit peeved, but within a few beats he’s back in his groove, embracing the latest shade of his sneakers. This story has a strong rhythm and jazzy watercolour illustrations.


Peach The Rabbit
Peach loves being with team koru!
  



Koru Newsletter, Term 1 Week 6, 2016

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Circle Time
This term, we are focusing on our key kete values of:
* Showing we care and
* Getting there together
Each week we use circle time to discuss how we can show these values. Circle time involves all students, and we sit in a circle and take a turn sharing ideas. We often have a picture book or fun activity to listen to first, and this helps us with our ideas. 
Recently, we have talked about what we can do if we have a problem....here are some of our thoughts:


We have also explored what great friends do:



We Get There Together During Discovery Time!
We have loved 'getting there together' during discovery time!  From this week, we now begin our day with numeracy. During this time, the children are involved in numeracy activity stations as well as direct teacher instruction. Friday afternoons will be a time for self-directed discovery.

 
    

Footsteps Dance Group
We were lucky to have footsteps dance group show us a fun superhero song with actions during the week. We also had a session on feelings with the Group. During this, we discussed our feelings and made feeling faces. 


   


Mutukaroa Learning Conferences
It has  been great to catch up with all of you to discuss your child's learning and of course, to meet you! I hope you are finding the resources in the learning packs helpful, and that the children are enjoying these. I am currently meeting with parents of children who have been at school for 20 weeks. During this meeting, we review their learning goals. We love your feedback, so please return the Parent evaluation forms to my office.
Thanks, Rowe

Koru Newsletter Term 1, Wk 4, 2016

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Alphabet Ideas
Team Koru  currently have a big focus on building on our alphabet knowledge (this includes the letter names and the letter sound). It would be fantastic if you could support this at home.You could do this by;
  • Using the packs that you would have received from Rowena through the Mutukaroa Programme. 
  • When your child is writing their name, talk about what letters make up their name.
  • Get your child to help write shopping lists and talk about the sounds that go with letters.


Contact Information and Cyber Safety form
If you have not handed in your 'Contact Details' sheet or 'Cyber Safety' form yet, please hand this into the office next week.


Word Pack
You would have received a 'Word Pack' from Rowena, please practice a few of these each night adding in a few more as your child gets to know some words. It is important to keep reviewing words until they are mastered.Your Mutukaroa learning pack also has a list of games to support learning these words in a fun way e.g. The Ladder game and the Slap game. If you have not received this pack  yet, it will be given to you at your child's learning conference. If your child started at the end of last year and has lost this pack please see your child's 'Point of Contact Teacher' so they can organise you another pack.

Team Koru News
Just letting you know that we will be sending out a fortnightly newsletter via a blog update.  Please make sure you check this so you know what has been happening and be aware of future events.
Please check the Notices Board  (in the entrance to Hub 10/11) daily as we use this to convey any important messages.

River of Flowers
On Monday the 22nd February Hub 10 & 11 participated in the chalk river of flowers to remember the people who passed away in the earthquake 5 years ago. The children demonstrated great respect and worked well together  during this activity.  We were also very proud of them during our whole school and community remembrance gathering on the field.  The children are a credit to all of you.
Most of these children have only been at school a few weeks.

Getting there together







A huge thanks to Steve for coming to play for Hub 10 & 11
Weaver's father Steve came into Hub 10 & 11 to play his electric guitar. Children asked questions about the equipment, requested songs, and some children even had a turn at playing the guitar! This experience created a platform for some wonderful discussions. We all think you ROCK Steve ! We hope you come again and if you would like to bring your band you are most welcome.





Daisy the kitten comes to visit Hub 10 & 11!
Quote from this sharing time - "She is softer than she looks!"

Koru Newsletter Term 1 Wk 2 2016

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Welcome & Reminders

Once again, welcome to hub 10-11 at Beckenham School! Thanks (and a reminder) to please send the following every day:
* Drink bottle (named)
* Hat
* Reading Folder
* Library Folder (Fridays only)
To help your child make new friends, we encourage you to organise play dates. A Koru Friendship List with phone numbers for all our students is inside your child's reading folder.
Rowena Barker (Team Leader) will contact many of you over the next month, to share your child's Mutukaroa assessment. 

Discovery Sessions

Starting each day with 'discovery based' learning has helped the children feel welcome and settled. We love hearing their ideas and watching them work and play together! During discovery sessions, teachers focus on building friendships between students, practising clear speaking (oral language), and inquiry learning (e.g. gardening, building, open ended art).

  
  



Our School Values: Getting There Together & We Care

We have been focusing on two of our school values, 'WE CARE' and 'WE GET THERE TOGETHER'.  In hub 10-11, we have been playing lots of name games and doing various buddy activities to show we get there together (photos below). We will have our first WHARE TIME where our New Entrant students will work with older buddies from across the school and teachers, and complete various 'get to know you' activities.


Some of the children working in buddies for maths:
  
  


Ideas for maths at home http://koru.beckenham.school.nz/p/cool-maths-links.html


Some of the children working in buddies for whare time on Friday:

 
 


We have been showing 'We Care' by putting our materials and bags away, and using kind words. We are very good at looking out for and buddying up with each other in the playground too!


  
    



Literacy

We have started our writing programme, focusing on letter formation and shared writing. Room 10's story, 'Amanda in a bubble,' was very funny! We have also been practising our 'crocodile pencil grip' (photos below). Encouraging your child to write, draw and use hands at home will help them develop hand strength for writing. Construction, play-dough and lego also strengthen hand muscles. Take home reading books will be sent home Mon - Thurs.  thanks for reading and returning books each day. On Friday, the children will bring home their poetry book. Enjoy reading their weekly poem with them and please return on the following Monday.
Websites and apps to support Literacy: http://koru.beckenham.school.nz/p/super-online-literacy-games.html